


Building His Life Anew

by Ravenclaw_Peredhel



Series: If I Should Fall [10]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien, Tolkien - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fourth Age, Gen, Minor Character Death, Past Character Death, Temporary Character Death, Undying Lands, Valinor, not technically AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:01:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28853229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravenclaw_Peredhel/pseuds/Ravenclaw_Peredhel
Summary: Before striking out on his own in the Undying Lands, Elrond stays with his parents for a while and meets his (very extended) family
Relationships: Celebrían/Elrond Peredhel, Elrond Peredhel & House of Fëanor, Elrond Peredhel & Original Female Character(s), Maedhros | Maitimo/Maedhros | Maitimo's Wife
Series: If I Should Fall [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023415
Comments: 57
Kudos: 25





	Building His Life Anew

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fantasticoncer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fantasticoncer/gifts).



> Slight mention of character death. Like, a paragraph. Basically it's Elrond's memories of people dying in Amon Ereb.

Of all the places that Elrond had expected his parents' home to resemble, it was not Amon Ereb. After all, it was where their family had been really and truly torn apart, the last stronghold of the Eldar in the North. 

But, just outside Tirion, perched on the side of the Pelorí, the building was indisputably a replica of Amon Ereb, if a more beautiful rather than practical version. Instead of heavy gray stone, it was built of a strange white stone that seemed to glitter as though it held starlight within. Not quartz, but almost like it. He supposed it was something only found the Blessed Realm. The gates were wide open, as those of Amon Ereb never were, and the windows were large and filled with clear glass. It was at once, totally different and painfully similar to his first home. 

"Welcome to Amon Lae ionneg." Amon Lae - Hill of Multitudes. He smiled. 

"It's wonderful atto."

Maedhros grinned mischievously at his wife. "I spent nearly two hundred years designing and building it, and what does your Amillë say when she sees it? 'It's too bare.' Nothing about the gates or towers or windows, only about the lack of tapestries on the walls."

"It was cold!" His mother laughingly defended herself, but Elrond could tell that it wasn't really serious. Maedhros threw up his hands, but only the left initially, and his right followed as an afterthought. Alassindë laughed harder. 

And so, it was to the sound of laughter, that Elrond finally entered his parents house. 

*******************

Amon Lae was in design similar to Amon Ereb, but it was also vastly dissimilar. The walls which had been thick, high and practical in Amon Ereb were still thick and tall, but the glimmering white stone soared skyward rather than sitting squarely on the ground. The windows were wide and filled with clear glass, which had been incredibly rare in Middle Earth, rather than the thin arrow slits he remembered. The gates were delicate silver-steel filigree and stood permanently open - a decorative feature rather than the thick iron gates of Amon Ereb, kept shut and barred from necessity. But most of all, the people were different. He saw some familiar faces from his childhood, but there were many more. Their garb was bright and elaborate, their faces filled with joy, their voices ever raised in song. And most of all, there were so many of them - all of the followers of Maedhros resided here, and in the height of their glory they alone had numbered nearly ten thousand in a great contrast to the scant three hundred comprising the remnants of the House of Fëanor he remembered of his childhood. 

He loved it, but he also missed Imladris - living in his own house, in his valley with the river that knew his voice and would spend hours talking to him of the wonders it had seen, the wild pine woods that used to tease him about _everything_ no matter how often he threatened to chop them down, the sprawling complex that had seemingly grown out of the ground, the winds that used to ruffle up his hair and do their level best to undo his braids, and most of all, he missed his children. Elladan and Elrohir seemed all but non existent here in Amon Lae, where even his wife seemed incongrous. Of course, that was partially because his twins were off on a tour of Aman to see everything. Who knew how long it would take them, and he prayed that no one would get too badly hurt. 

And Amon Lae was beautiful, but he could not look at the door to the hall without seeing his mother wild with grief, screaming and fighting against his father, without seeing his sister's disembodied head held in Erestor's arms. And he could not look at the gates without seeing gentle Tirindis pinned to their Middle Earth counterparts with a spear through her throat and daggers in her hands. The stables still flashed behind his eyes as they had been after the War of Wrath, with the few remaining horses half eaten. One had still been alive - his father's war horse. His parents had made new memories already to drown out the terrible ones, but he did not think that he was brave enough to. Neither Gil nor Morwen could - they (and cousin Tyelpë) lived elswhere - Gil in Cîwlindon, Morwen with Erestor in Cílnost and Tyelpë in Formenos with his father and grandfather. 

So he designed Cîwalassë, with his wife's criticism and his parents aid. It was situated in a deep valley not far from Amon Lae, and it was like and yet unlike Imladris. The stairs did not have that twist he had spent a year agonising over that made it night impossible for attackers to fight a defender above them. The bridge was wide and railed, and the statues at its end were not intimidating faceless guards but laughing dancing children - his sons. Elros' likeness was stood in a garden, replacing one of Celebrian that he had had made after her departure. Eight-pointed stars twinkled around every corner. He completely redesigned the infirmary, the place where Celebrian had lain all but dead for so long. The rooms that had belonged to the Dunedain he replaced with the library - memories lay so thick and heavy on them that he could not face rebuilding the rooms where dozens of Edain long dead and gone had lived. Let them crumble with Imladris. In fact, he and Celebrian, feeling a little bereft with neither Glorfindel nor Erestor, rehauled much of the floor plan. 

Maedhros was fascinated when Elrond drew him the old plans of Imladris. He was especially interested in the rooms that had belonged to Alassindë and how they were decorated and what they contained. Elrond suspected that he knew what his mother would be getting for the next few decades. 

But the best part of, in Elrond's opinion was the look on everyone's face when he announced (in the middle of court) that he would swear allegiance to his grandfather Fëanáro, and his lands would be part of those of that House. He doubted that he had ever stunned so many grave old elves so effectively ever - even when he and Elros had made a game of trying to shock as many Calaquendi as they could. Referring to Fëanáro as Haru had had some interesting results when on Telerin ships, but that paled beside the fact that he had made _Finwë_ _himself_ stutter and gape. Elros would have been so delighted. 

Quite definitely, one of his favourite parts was the huge family he now had. Fëanáro visited Amon Lae often, and Elrond decided that he quite liked having a grandfather. Especially one so...eccentric. Haruni Nerdanel was quite possibly one of his favourite people in the world. Uncle Maglor was still quiet and depressed, but he had written a small ditty in a major key recently which was an improvement.

Tyelkormo was frankly wild - he ran in and out of all the different towns and cities of the House of Fëanáro trailing a pack of hounds and mud and twigs behind him as he went. Initially he was cold to Elrond as a descendant of Lúthien - until he saw Elrond rebuff Thingol's offer of living in Menegroth. Very politely and at length. In Quenya. With a distinct Feanorian lisp. Then he became an uncle entirely dedicated to making up for the several millennia lost. 

Caranthir was quiet and scholarly, often found in the library or surroundes by scraps of thread and fabric. He was kind but distant - Maedhros told his son that he had been so ever since the death of both Haleth and their three children nearly ten thousand years before. Curufinwë was charming and a little frightening in his charm - Elrond understood now how he had swayed an entire city to his will. Ambarussa were a little wary of him because of the whole Sirion thing, but after he greeted them quite happily as his uncles consistently they eventually loosened up and became as much of a pair of terrors as his own twins. 

And these were only some of his relations. 

He met almost all of the Noldorin side. Finwë was kind and regal and distant. To everyone - he seemed remarkably inept with personal relationships, though he was obviously trying. To balance that out, Indis was warm and loving and motherly to everyone. She embraced him the first time she met him and promptly scolded Alassindë because of how thin he was and didn't she know anything about raising children. Even Fëanáro seemed to have given up and was quite polite to her, and his sons appeared to have found that discretion was the better part of valour and referred to her as Haruni Indis. 

Fingolfin was surprisingly down to earth and practical, though he had his moments. He was quite understanding of why Elrond had chosen to belong to his brother's House rather than his own, but still insisted on visiting as often as possible. Anairë was a diplomat through and through, smiling and gracious and remarkably hard to read. Fingon was bright and loud and reckless and merry, barging into his best friend's home whenever he wished with loud greetings and a bright laugh. He did indeed wear bright gold ribbons threaded through his hair, and he never missed a chance to tease Tintillion about being his son. How that misunderstanding had happened Elrond never knew. Especially seeing as he was quite obviously happy being one of the most sought after bachelors of the Noldor.

Turukáno was polite and frigid to his great-grandson. He never outright said that Elrond had made a mistake in placing his allegiance with the House of Fëanor, but it was implied whenever they spoke. Which was rarely, as he never trod in Fëanorian lands and Elrond had been to Tirion all of four times. Elenwë he had never seen - apparently she remained in Ondolindë and had never left it since her rebirth. Idril and Tuor had wrapped him in a huge embrace and promptly moved from Tol Eressëa to just outside the Fëanorian boundary lines, which was rather nice of them he thought. 

Aredhel was wild and laughing, often found with Celegorm and their pack of barking hounds. She was warm and friendly to him, though she could not understand why he had chosen to live in a little valley when he could live in the woods roaming here there and everywhere. Eöl lived in Nan Elmoth with his household and was a bit disconcerting. He was silent and had a way of looking at you that made you think he knew what you looked like when even your flesh was flayed away. Maeglin hid away the first time Elrond visited, but after Elrond had sought him out and chatted to him amicably twelve times he gave up hiding. 

Arakáno was young and merry and innocent. There wasn't really much else to say about him. 

Then there were the Arafinweans. Arafinwë was kind and blond and unflappable. He had the best poker face in all of Arda most likely, and nothing Elrond could do could ruffle him, and believe you me he had tried. Eärwen was allergic to the lands of Fëanor's House but very kind if he didn't wear the eight-pointed star or bring a member of said house with him when he visited. 

Finrod was...a magpie. A very nice blond magpie. He was very nice and kind and blond and loved shiny things and always teased Celegorm and Curufin mercilessly. Elrond liked him, but he came best in small doses. Even his wife Amarië agreed laughingly. 

Orodreth was blond and grumpy. Seriously, it was like his face was stuck in a frown. Although part of that might be because Elrond always wore the star around him just to be annoying. Finduilas was nice though, and she was part of the 'Finwean Hunting Party'. 

Angrod and Aegnor were in Mandos, so Elrond had never met them which made him terribly curious. 

And that was just the Noldorin side..

Elwë Singollo and Melian had offered to have him in Menegroth (which was an exact replica of the old one complete with magical Girdle) until he had made it clear that he counted as his parent Maedhros and Alassindë. They became considerably cooler to him after that. 

Dior and Nimloth were frigid to Celegorm, Curufin and Caranthir but otherwise perfectly polite to everyone else, visiting the second Tuesday of every month. Apparently they had decided that putting up with the three sons of Fëanor that had killed them once a month was not enough to deter them from visiting their only living grandchild. 

Elwing had not shown her face since the feast to welcome him, and Eärendil was off being a star, which Elrond was perfectly happy about. 

Life was good. He had a huge family, his parents were healthy and his siblings alive, he had another valley to live in and so far nothing had burned down. Life was good. 

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry Fantasticoncer, there was a little tiny bit of not happiness in there. Really sorry.
> 
> Translations:  
> Amon Ereb - lonely hill  
> Amon Lae - literally crowded hill, but Hill of Multitudes can sort of be wrangled from it right  
> Lincaras - city of song (lindon means land of song but I don't think Gil-galad's followers warrants a whole country anymore)  
> Cílnost - town of renewal  
> Cîwalassë - New Joy. Shit name I know but whatever. 
> 
> The characters names are sometimes in quenya and sometimes sindarin based on how i think they would choose to be known in valinor. And with place names I got lazy and used the middle earth names.
> 
> You know how I tend to make Elrond monologue on family?   
> Yeah...it's kinda a bad habit now 😁


End file.
